Snap fastener



Jan. 19, 1937. P. UPH'AM 2,068,633

SNAP FASTENER Filed May 22, 1934 I nveno 2":

Presi/an Upaasu may Patented Jan. 19, 1937 SNAP FASTENER Preston Upham, Brookline, Mass., assigner to United-Carr Fastener Corporation, Cambridge, Mass., a corporation of Massachusetts pplication May 22, 1934, Serial No. 726,974

5 Claims.

My invention aims to provide improvements in snap fastener secured installations and snap fastener studs for the same.

In the drawing which illustrates preferred embodments of my inventionz Figure 1 is a plan view of an installation of a molding strip showing two fastener members in the molding and showing a part of the molding broken away to Aexpose one of the fastener members;

Fig. 2 is a section taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Fig. 3 is a section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure l, the stud member being shown in side elevation;

Fig. 4 is a bottom plan view of the snap fastener stud illustrated in Figs. l, 2 and 3;

Fig. 5 is a part section and part elevational view of a molding strip and supporting structure, together vwith a modified form of fastener stud in the act of pressing the stud through an aperture in the supporting structure; and

Fig. 6 is a side elevation of the fastener stud illustrated in Fig. 5.

My invention, as illustrated by the annexed drawing, relates particularly, though not exclusively, to the installation of molding and like hollow strips to sheet metal supporting structures by the use of separable snap fastener stud members. Heretofore a number of fastener members have been satisfactorily used in the same type of installation, but it has been found that none of those fastener members-can be successfully used where the molding strip is very narrowand the aperture in the supporting structure is relatively small. For instance, the well known types of molding fasteners are not readily adapted to be used to attaclimoldings from 1A of an inch to of an inch wide, nor are they adapted to enterv apertures about 1/8 to 52 of an inch in diameter. My improved fastener members, which will be hereinafter more specically described, are particularly adapted for use with the narrow moldings and the smallapertures.

The installation and fastener stud illustrated in Figs. l through 4 inclusive includes a thin sheet metal supporting member I upon which is superposed a tubularmolding 2 of any'suitable crosssectional design and one or more snap fastener stud members assembled with the molding 2 prior to attachment thereof to the supporting member I.

Each snap fastener member is' preferably formed from a single piece f sheet metal and has a base portion 3, a pair of spring portions 4-4 at opposite sides of lthe base and a pair of yieldable socket-engaging portions 5 and B located beneath the base portion 3, as clearly illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4. The spring portions 4-4 are preferably formed by dividing the base 5 3 by slits 'l-l extending parallel to the longitudif nal edges of the base. One slit (Fig. 4) extends from one end of the base toward, but terminating short of, the other end. The other slit 1 extends from the opposite end. Each of the spring por 10 tions 4 4, along the edge of its slit 1, is bent at an angle to the plane of the base 3 so that the free end is spaced from the plane of the base, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 3. The yieldable socketengaging portions 5 and 6 are connected to the 15 ends of the base 3 (Figs. 3 and 4) and extend toward each other underneath and spaced from the base and then extend outwardly at right angles to the plane of the base in opposed face-to-face relationship. The yieldable arms 5 and 6 pref- 20 erably diverge fora portion of their lengths and then converge toward their free ends. The yieldable arm 5 preferably diverges for a lesser length than the length of the diverging portion. of the arm 6 (Fig. 3) and then abruptly changes its direction toward the arm 6 for the purpose hereinafter more fully described. The extreme end portions of the arms 5 and 6.are-preferably closely associated sothat they may be in contact with each other at all times or at least when pressure is exerted upon vone arm toward the other during attachment and detachment of the stud Ywith the supporting structure I.

The normal operation of assembling the parts of the installation already described may be somewhat as follows: First the base portion 3, together with the spring portions 4 4, is entered through the open end of the molding 2 and slid into a desired position with the arms 5 and 6 passing out through the longitudinal opening 8 at the under side of the molding. The spring arms 4-4 (Figs. 2 and 3), together`with the base 3, cooperate to take up the space within the hollow molding 2 so that the fastener Stud may be held against accidental movement in any desired position. At the same time the spring portions 4-4 will yield to permit any desired shifting movement. Attention is also directed to the'fact that these lspring portions 4-4 extend in opposite directions and their free ends are-adapted to bite into the material of the molding to prevent too free shifting of the fasteners. When the fasteners are properly located and attached to the molding the entire assembly is then moved toward the supporting member I which is provided with one or morel preformed stud-receiving apertures 9 of relatively small diameter. As the yieldable arms 1 5 and' 6 pass through an aperture 9 they are forced toward each other because they are farther apart at certain points than the diameter of the aperture. During the entrance of the arms 5 and 6 through the aperture 9 they do not follow a straight path but rather wiggle through due to the peculiar shape of the arm 5. The reason for the peculiar shape of the arm 5 is to provide maximum flexing of the arms 5 and 6. movement of the arms 5 and 6 toward each otherm and maximum holding power of the arms against the supporting member I adjacent to the aperture 9. During the entrance of the arms 5 and 4ii into the aperture 9 the free end portions of the arms engage each other at least before the arms; have been brought together at least far enough to permit passage through the aperture 9 so that further movement of the arms toward each other is effected by exing throughout the length'of the arms rather than iiexing of the arms adjacent to the base 3. This distribution of flexing throughout the length of the arms prevents setting which would be likely to occur in a fastener of lrelatively small dimensions.

The installation and fastener illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 arethe same as those already described in lconnection with Figs. 1 through 4, inclusive, with the exception .of the shape and length of the yieldable stud-engaging portions. Therefore, I shall use the same reference characters in'connection with the description of this installation and fastener where the parts are the same.

One of the important features of my invention is in the arrangement of the socket-engaging p0rtions whereby when they are forced toward each other when pressed throughy a stud-receiving aperture, the arms will be brought into contact at their free ends before they have been brought together close enough to pass through the studreceiving aperture. y Y

In the stud member illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6 the socket-engaging arms IIJ- I0 diverge and then converge in a uniform manner. 'I'he ex-x treme end portions are closely associated withl each other and may be normally in contact, or at least so close together `that they will contact upon relatively slight movement toward each other, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 6. The operation of this fastener and the assembly of vthe parts is the same as previously described with the exception of the fact that the stud` enters by4 a straight axial movement through the aperture 9 in the supporting member I. This type of stud `is particularly useful where the length of each arm is restricted, while the construction of' the arms illustrated in Fig. 3 is more useful where the arms can be made longer.

Y My improved fasteners are simple in construction, eiicient in operation and are relatively easy to manufacture. The socket-engaging portions are preferably of less width than the base where they pass through theA slot 8 and, of necessity, relatively narrow because they have to enter an unusually small stud-receiving aperture. However, the arms should be of greater Width than thickness of material used in order to provide the best results.

While I have illustrated and described preferred embodiments of my invention, I do not wish to be limited thereby, because the scope of my invention is best dened by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A snap fastener stud`of the class described having a base portion, said base portion being split to provide spring'portions at opposite sides thereof, said spring portions being bent out of the plane of thev base, and said snap fastener stud having a pair of opposed yieldable arms extending from said base portion and being shaped to make snap fastening engagement with a supporting member, one of the base springs being connected to one end of the base and extending at an angle to the plane thereof and the other baseF spring being connected to the other end of the base and extending at an angle thereto thereby to provide brake means against accidental movement of the fastener stud relative to a member.

2; A snap fastener stud of the class described formed from a single piece of sheet metal and having a base portion, a pair of yieldable socketengaging portions connected to and extending from beneath said bas portion and an elongated spring portion connected to the base, on each side of the socket engaging portion, said spring portions being integral with the base portion and connected thereto at one end so.as to lie Within the marginal dimensions of the base, said spring portions being inclined relative to the plane of the base forlthe purpose described.

3. A snap fastener stud of the class describedA having a base, a pair of yieldable socket-engaging portions located beneath said base and having diverging portions one of which isshorter than the other and Aconverging portions the angles of which are dissimilar and the free end portions of said socket-engaging portion being arranged closely adjacent to each other for contact during attachment of and detachment from-a part-to which the stud is to be engaged.

4. A snap fastener stud of the class described formed from a single piece of sheet metal and having a. base portion, a pair of yieldable socketengaging portions extending from opposite ends of the base portion first in spaced relation there- 5. A snap fastener stud of the class described formed from a single piece of sheet metal and having a base portion, a pair of yieldable socketengaging portions connected to and extending from beneath said base portion, and saidbase having slits extending from the free edges part way through the material to provide spring portions connected thereto adiacent one end thereof and extending along the sides of the base substantially to the opposite end and disposed at an angle thereto.

Y PRESTON UPHAM. 

